The Show Goes on Following Chiefs Management Shakeup

By Scott Eddy

Star Sports Editor

When the Jamestown Chiefs take to the field this Saturday for a scheduled home game at Strider Field against Lyndonville, the team will do so with new leadership.

Joe Scapelitte, the team’s founding president and general manager, retired from the team effective Aug. 10 citing health issues. The team will be under the charge of its board of directors for the time being, with a new general manager to be announced in the future, according to a press release issued by the team.

"I was planning on retiring at the end of the season anyway," Scapelitte said Tuesday. "Due to poor health, I thought it would be in my best interest to turn the team over to the board because they’re ready to run it."

"Joe will be sadly missed," Erica Carter, interim board president, said in a release issued by the team Monday evening. "He has spent countless hours in the development of the team on and off the field. His efforts are much appreciated by all concerned."

While Scapelitte has left the operations of the first year team, a member of the Northeastern Football Alliance semi-pro league, the team still has three games remaining on its schedule this season, including two games at Strider Field. Scapelitte said the games still yet to be played are in "no jeopardy whatsoever." The team had originally planned to play four games at Strider Field, but lost last week’s scheduled home date after Glove Cities, the originally intended opponent for the Aug. 8 game, dropped out of the league. Chiefs management had hoped to replace the game against a team from West Virginia, but that team folded. With no viable replacement team, the date was dropped from the schedule.

"Nothing changes," Chiefs head coach Brendan Carter said. "We had a board put in place to run the team. That was Joe’s biggest focus; making sure the team would run."

Carter also added that despite the change in leadership, the team remains on steady ground going beyond this season.

"Without a doubt, there will be football here," he said. "At this point, we will probably wait until the end of the season to appoint (a new general manager). We were going to do a re-organization anyway, but now we have even more of a reason to do so."

With his departure from the club, Scapelitte claims the team is indebted to him by $18,250. In a letter sent to a team official Monday, Scapelitte asked the team board members to acknowledge the debt as well as settle a way to recoup the funds.

"It’s my hope that I can recover monies as the team progresses," Scapelitte said Tuesday. "There are two home games coming up, I would think that something could be paid to me there. I’m out $18,250 to be exact. I’m hoping to be able to recover it over some period of time." He added that he will be selling team members a yearbook as well as other approved fundraising for the not-for-profit organization to recoup some of his losses.

On the field, Jamestown will have a re-match with the Lyndonville Tigers this Saturday, scheduled for 5 p.m. at Strider Field. Jamestown lost to Lyndonville, 27-0 to begin the season. The Tigers enter the week’s play at 6-1 and are among the league leaders. With just three games remaining on the schedule, following the folding of the Rome franchise, which was set to be the final date on the Jamestown schedule on the road, the Chiefs are now in the home stretch of the season. The team must win at least two games to have shot at the playoffs.

"We’ve made some adjustments to what they do," Carter said. "We’re going to try to shut down their bread and butter and come out and get a victory for the home crowd. There’s little adjustments we need to make as far as what to look for and what personnel to key and take away what they’re good at and make them run plays they’re not comfortable with."